https://www.scmp.com/rss/32/feed All the latest health news and features en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson To lose a baby is unthinkable. To do so during the Covid-19 pandemic, in isolation from your husband, family and friends, is the twist of the knife. But this was the fate of Keya Wingfield, a Mumbai-born, US-based Food Network champion chef. She gave birth to her second child, son Daksh, in February 2021. “He was sick from the get-go,” she remembers. “They just couldn’t figure it out.” Daksh’s lungs were failing him, and he spent his short life – 55 days – in a neonatal intensive care unit. He... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349480/she-was-102kg-diabetic-death-wish-after-losing-40kg-shes-thriving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349480/she-was-102kg-diabetic-death-wish-after-losing-40kg-shes-thriving?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Hong Kong hairstylist Pitt Cheung Kwok-wai’s life took a sharp turn in 2020 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 nasopharyngeal cancer at the age of 38. “We never had cancer or serious illness in our family before, so it was very shocking,” Cheung says. Having treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic made the experience even more isolating, as it was difficult for friends and family members to visit him in hospital as he underwent several rounds of chemotherapy. Due to its prevalence in southern... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The patient initially came to see Dr Mark Supiano in 2017 because her family was concerned about her short-term memory loss. While taking her history and vital signs, Supiano, a geriatrician at the University of Utah, in the United States, saw that her blood pressure was 148/86: above normal despite her taking two medications intended to lower it. “Clearly that was too high,” he says. Several factors could have contributed to the high reading, including the anti-inflammatory drug the 78-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349632/how-hypertensions-links-dementia-make-blood-pressure-control-even-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349632/how-hypertensions-links-dementia-make-blood-pressure-control-even-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Just before the holidays in 2025, Julie Hart felt stuck. A nagging problem she had struggled with for years left her ruminating all day and questioning nearly everything she had ever said, done or could do. She was considering traditional therapy but decided instead to try single-session counselling. Rather than committing to weekly therapy sessions, she would get only 60 minutes to tackle the problem. It worked. “It helped me get unstuck, is how I would describe it, in a very positive,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu In the fifth of a series on challenges facing Hong Kong’s growing autistic population, Charmaine Yu meets autistic twin violinists and their mother to learn how they found their voice through music. While twin brothers Hugo and Jayden Pang often struggle to navigate a world of words, the violin provides a language in which they are always understood. Turning 26 this month, the brothers have traded early struggles in communication for international stages, proving that in Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349210/how-autistic-hong-kong-violinist-twins-found-joy-and-confidence-music?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349210/how-autistic-hong-kong-violinist-twins-found-joy-and-confidence-music?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse First it was protein, now it is fibre: the “maxxing” mindset has permeated social media, as wellness influencers insist that loading up on certain nutrients is the key to vitality and a life-changing gut glow-up. These viral diet trends rooted in extreme optimisation are affecting how people eat and what companies sell – but are they actually healthy? The concept of “proteinmaxxing” insists that more is better when it comes to the macronutrient found in foods like nuts, meat and dairy, which is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349125/are-food-health-trends-fibermaxxing-and-proteinmaxxing-actually-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349125/are-food-health-trends-fibermaxxing-and-proteinmaxxing-actually-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 86th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. I was startled by a comment from a friend recently: she told me that she almost never uses the internet. I work, cook, shop and walk listening to podcasts. I read the news online each morning. I use the internet to research, find supper recipes, search for new books to read and download the latest episodes of favourite radio shows. The trace of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348949/why-internet-use-can-actually-lower-your-dementia-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348949/why-internet-use-can-actually-lower-your-dementia-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In a corner of suburban Singapore, Betty Boon vaults a guardrail, crawls underneath a slide, executes forward shoulder rolls and scales a steep slope, finishing the course to applause. “Good job!” the 69-year-old’s coach cheers. This is “geriatric parkour”, where around 20 retirees learn to tackle a series of relatively demanding exercises, building their agility and enjoying a sense of camaraderie. Boon, an upbeat grandmother, says learning parkour has aided her confidence and independence as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348892/why-singaporeans-aged-60-plus-are-learning-parkour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348892/why-singaporeans-aged-60-plus-are-learning-parkour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson The Easter break offers a chance of escape for many Hongkongers, but that holiday joy often comes with a hidden tax: jet lag. Jet lag is the cognitive and physical misalignment that your brain and body experience when arriving in a new time zone. Known more formally as desynchronosis, it is more than a lack of sleep – it is a state of biological confusion. Los Angeles Times journalist Horace Sutton may have been the first person to use the term “jet lag”, in a piece he wrote in 1966. “If you’re... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348783/how-frequent-fliers-are-beating-jet-lag-using-apps-timeshifter-and-stopjetlag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348783/how-frequent-fliers-are-beating-jet-lag-using-apps-timeshifter-and-stopjetlag?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Kavita Daswani Kavita Daswani Bill Maeda, who has 2.2 million followers on Instagram and more than 450,000 subscribers on YouTube, is not your conventional fitness trainer. He eats McDonald’s. He does not count reps. And he sometimes has clients exercise for just 10 minutes a day. While that approach might sound counterintuitive in an industry often built on intensity, for Maeda, 57, fitness has never been about punishment or perfection. It is about something far simpler: finding a way to move that people can actually... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348756/colon-cancer-survivor-who-became-viral-fitness-trainer-isnt-afraid-eating-mcdonalds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348756/colon-cancer-survivor-who-became-viral-fitness-trainer-isnt-afraid-eating-mcdonalds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 dpa dpa January usually triggers a renewed sense of enthusiasm for getting fit, but as the months roll on and spring comes into fruition, life’s busyness often gets in the way. However, new research suggests we do not need to commit to a strict gym schedule: short bursts of vigorous exercise – such as taking the stairs or running for the bus – can also help us keep fit and healthy. The study, by researchers in China, included 96,408 people taking part in the UK Biobank study. It compared the data with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348670/how-5-10-minute-exercise-snacking-sessions-can-get-you-fit-and-lower-disease-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348670/how-5-10-minute-exercise-snacking-sessions-can-get-you-fit-and-lower-disease-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Bhakti Mathur Bhakti Mathur Anjali Hazari hit the ground running when she arrived in Hong Kong as a newlywed in her early twenties more than four decades ago – and she has not stopped. Despite developing knee pain that has required surgeries and now having osteoporosis and more, the retired teacher and tutorial company owner keeps pushing forward – first as a marathoner, then a mountaineer, now a powerlifter – at the age of 70. Raised in Amravati, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Hazari studied in Mumbai and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348484/70-shes-now-powerlifter-how-retired-teacher-refuses-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348484/70-shes-now-powerlifter-how-retired-teacher-refuses-slow-down?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson In the third of a series on challenges facing Hong Kong’s growing autistic population, Tara Loader Wilkinson speaks with a mother of an autistic son who found a simple way to help boost acceptance of neurodivergent people, and a filmmaker who is giving them a voice. Sometimes the small things make the biggest difference. So it was with 12-year-old Alexander Talos Schaus, who was born in Hong Kong and diagnosed with autism at the age of three. He is largely non-speaking; he communicates with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348508/how-hong-kong-mother-autistic-son-helping-others-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348508/how-hong-kong-mother-autistic-son-helping-others-him?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:15:07 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan In the second of a series on challenges facing Hong Kong’s growing autistic population, Anthea Rowan examines the complexities of the autism spectrum, from the latest gut-health research to the move from awareness towards acceptance. While at university studying psychology and theatre, Dr Amanda Oswalt Visher worked with a three-year-old non-speaking autistic boy at an early childhood intervention centre. She noticed his movements were not random but followed a consistent pattern. To communicate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348374/what-autism-understanding-spectrum-gut-brain-connection-masking-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348374/what-autism-understanding-spectrum-gut-brain-connection-masking-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Retired civil engineer Lim Shyang Guey will don his running shoes on March 28 for a 2,200km (1,367-mile) journey around Peninsular Malaysia. The 90-day “Run for Gold” campaign is Lim’s attempt to finish a gruelling circuit by June 22 – his 67th birthday. The inspiration for this challenge comes from profound loss. In November 2023, Lim and his wife, Goh Joo Lee, were celebrating her completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Half Marathon – her first ever race. But soon after, she began to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347978/66-year-old-sets-2200km-run-around-peninsular-malaysia-honour-his-wife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347978/66-year-old-sets-2200km-run-around-peninsular-malaysia-honour-his-wife?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Aidyn Fitzpatrick Aidyn Fitzpatrick Elise Phillipson was 45 when she returned to university, on what she calls her “second or third life”. She had first studied hotel management; as a nine-year-old growing up in Hong Kong, she asked her father what she should be, and he suggested she work in a hotel. In adulthood, she retrained as an English teacher, married and raised two children. By the time her youngest started primary school, she found herself wondering again what occupation was right for her. Her husband urged her to look at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347949/therapy-coaching-perfect-midlife-career-change-how-many-are-finding-new-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347949/therapy-coaching-perfect-midlife-career-change-how-many-are-finding-new-purpose?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters A powerful scene ⁠in the action epic Gladiator II (2024) has a problem: a camera crew is visible behind Paul Mescal as his character prepares for a high-stakes battle. Jack Zimmerman, a visual effects artist, erases the intrusion. Zimmerman works at Exceptional Minds, an American non-profit vocational academy and visual effects studio for adults with autism. The organisation provides training to help autistic artists launch careers in the competitive world of Hollywood. “It feels like a dream,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347843/how-california-studio-helping-autistic-artists-break-hollywood?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:15:10 +0000 Kavita Daswani Kavita Daswani Joe Yoon notices it even in the middle of a conversation – a subtle tightening in his back, the instinct to shift in a chair, the small signals the body sends when it has not been moved enough. The sensations are easy to ignore. But for a mobility expert like Yoon, it is exactly the kind of thing that reveals a much bigger truth about how we age. “Even sitting here doing this interview, my back starts to get stiff and I shift around,” says Yoon, 39, over Zoom from his home in Charlotte, in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347578/just-9-minutes-day-mobility-routine-can-help-you-age-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347578/just-9-minutes-day-mobility-routine-can-help-you-age-better?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 03:00:15 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Our health is shaped by far more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Research estimates that as much as 80 to 90 per cent of health outcomes are influenced by factors outside medical care, including diet, physical activity and other everyday habits. Yet food, one of the most powerful drivers of health, is rarely treated as medicine. The concept of food as medicine is not new, says Dr Jaclyn Albin, an internist and director of the culinary medicine programme at UT Southwestern Medical Centre... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347524/how-food-shapes-our-health-more-medicine-doctors-share-healthy-eating-tips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347524/how-food-shapes-our-health-more-medicine-doctors-share-healthy-eating-tips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:15:09 +0000 dpa dpa Inaccurate social media posts about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been linked to a rise in young people believing they have neurodevelopmental conditions, an expert has said after a study highlighted the levels of misinformation online. Researchers say their findings present a “clear need for action” for more high-quality information to be shared on social media and “strengthened content moderation”. Experts from the UK’s University of East Anglia (UEA) and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 85th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. As an erratic sleeper, I worry when I see a headline such as this recent one from Science News: “Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases.” That headline topped an article about a recent study of older adults in the US. It found that about 13 per cent of dementia cases may have roots in insomnia, and that poor sleep may be as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347263/how-poor-sleep-can-increase-dementia-risk-and-what-know-about-links?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson While aeroplane cockpits may be more hi-tech than ever and commercial flying is safer than ever, the fear of flying remains a stubborn hurdle for many. Commercial flying is statistically the safest mode of transport by far and it has become steadily safer each decade since the 1960s, according to research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Yet as many as 40 per cent of people in developed countries grapple with some form of aviophobia – a clinical anxiety that turns a flight into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347025/how-overcome-your-fear-flying-flight-anxiety-runs-high?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Ritu Hemnani Ritu Hemnani Hong Kong women navigating menopause have often felt the need to “soldier on”, their hot flushes dismissed by others – and themselves – as stress, their mood swings blamed on “having teenagers” and their fatigue chalked up to ageing. But a new non-profit organisation aims to put a stop to that. The Hong Kong Menopause Society (THKMS), which will officially launch on March 28, aims to boost awareness and understanding of perimenopause and menopause issues, both for the women who have them and for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347116/how-new-hong-kong-menopause-support-group-aims-help-women-through-difficult-life-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347116/how-new-hong-kong-menopause-support-group-aims-help-women-through-difficult-life-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:15:09 +0000 dpa dpa Meditation is widely seen as an effective way to reduce stress, focus your mind and manage symptoms of some health conditions, among other things. All you have to do is sit quietly, close your eyes and be suffused with inner calm, right? Well, not quite. Two experts explain how to get off to a good start, though, and why almost everyone can benefit from meditation and its cousin, mindfulness. Meditation is an ancient practice of focusing one’s attention on the present moment to achieve a state... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan A New Year’s resolution in early 2021 to eat healthier had unexpected but welcome consequences for Shanghai native Jenny Yue. The resident of Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, not only lost more than 22kg (48 pounds) but also took up bodybuilding and launched a freeze-dried-fruit business with her husband. Yue, 30, and husband Han, 32, from China’s Henan province, were working together as project managers to implement an online medical record system across British Columbia... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346840/how-mother-lost-23kg-8-months-took-bodybuilding-and-started-food-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346840/how-mother-lost-23kg-8-months-took-bodybuilding-and-started-food-business?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This series is based on our reporting on TCM: its history, treatments and growing acceptance around the world. This is the eighth instalment. For decades, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has often been viewed as a fragmented collection of folk remedies, overshadowed by Western clinical models and dismissed as purely anecdotal. But as luxury wellness centres in Hong Kong blend traditional methods with modern science – drawing interest from Western-trained doctors and hospitality leaders alike... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346451/how-luxury-traditional-chinese-medicine-treatments-are-finding-more-fans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346451/how-luxury-traditional-chinese-medicine-treatments-are-finding-more-fans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Mayra Hurtado knows the struggles of perimenopause first-hand. “My weight fluctuated so much, I had migraines and I literally saw every doctor,” she recalls. It was only after she visited a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Singapore that she slowly recovered from her migraines. Inspired by the holistic approach of TCM, the Mexico-born, Singapore-based entrepreneur realised that there are healthcare pathways beyond conventional medicine. “We have that kind of traditional medicine... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346296/how-new-home-tests-let-women-gain-insights-their-reproductive-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346296/how-new-home-tests-let-women-gain-insights-their-reproductive-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 dpa dpa Taking a daily multivitamin may slow down biological ageing, a study has suggested. Experts calculate that taking daily vitamins for two years cuts biological ageing by about four months on average. Biological ageing refers to how old the body is in terms of health and function rather than the number of years a person has lived. Previous studies on the use of multivitamins and health have given mixed results, with one large study in 2024 showing no benefit when it comes to preventing early death... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346446/multivitamin-day-could-slow-biological-ageing-especially-those-unhealthy-diets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346446/multivitamin-day-could-slow-biological-ageing-especially-those-unhealthy-diets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Bhakti Mathur Bhakti Mathur From a childhood marked by loss to an abusive marriage that nearly claimed her life, Shyy Sachdev’s journey has been anything but ordinary. When told at 49 she might only have five years left to live, the then overweight chain smoker chose to reinvent herself. She began exercising regularly at age 50, strength training at 52, running at 53 and cycling at 61. Today, at 62, she is a force of endurance and resilience. Stronger and happier than ever, the UK resident and fitness influencer now shares... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346044/how-100kg-chain-smoker-lost-40kg-fixed-knee-pain-and-became-fitness-influencer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346044/how-100kg-chain-smoker-lost-40kg-fixed-knee-pain-and-became-fitness-influencer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 dpa dpa Getting up at 5am, doing a workout, then heading to work is not a one-size-fits-all recipe for using time effectively, sleep experts say, noting that not everyone is a morning type. Countless Instagram and TikTok posts and coaching books have been telling us that early rising leads to a more efficient and successful life. Canadian leadership expert Robin Sharma’s book The 5am Club is an example. It has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since it was published in 2018. It describes the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345969/why-waking-early-not-everyone-and-what-sleep-experts-say-about-rising-early?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345969/why-waking-early-not-everyone-and-what-sleep-experts-say-about-rising-early?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 84th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. I did not recognise the signs of dementia developing in mum – the changes in her walking, her frequent need to urinate, her difficulty in swallowing – until quite late. Looking back, I see how they developed one after another. Nearly 80 per cent of all dementias are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The hallmark of this is the abnormal deposit of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345912/dementia-can-be-hard-spot-signs-pay-attention-trouble-eating-fitful-sleep?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter “Should you be out here in such rough conditions?” is the kind of patronising comment women in outrigger canoeing still hear regularly – especially when they are part of a crew whose members are all above the age of 50. “The boat doesn’t care about your gender. It only cares that you show up and put in 110 per cent effort,” says Eva Lind-Mallo, 53, who was on a Masters team of six Hong Kong women who raced at the World Distance Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last year. “And in our ohana... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345509/these-hong-kong-women-are-showing-whats-possible-their-sports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345509/these-hong-kong-women-are-showing-whats-possible-their-sports?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Six couples who want to start families but cannot conceive are the focus of a new Netflix documentary, The Plastic Detox. The couples – two of which have been trying to get pregnant for over two years, while one has been attempting for a decade – strip as much plastic from their lives as possible over three months to see if this will help. “Fertility worldwide is going down, and it is tightly linked to chemicals that are commonly used in plastic,” says epidemiologist Dr Shanna Swan in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345709/microplastic-dangers-and-innovators-finding-solutions-plus-8-ways-protect-yourself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345709/microplastic-dangers-and-innovators-finding-solutions-plus-8-ways-protect-yourself?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 04:45:07 +0000 dpa dpa There are many disadvantages to getting older. One of them is poor sleep. But although there are many reasons sleep may deteriorate as you age, it does not have to be that way. “Fundamentally, your sleep doesn’t have to change in your sixties or seventies, but circumstances tend to create a lot more vulnerability around that ageing point,” says Jason Ellis, a professor and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. “A lot of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345428/why-poor-sleep-not-unavoidable-we-get-older?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345428/why-poor-sleep-not-unavoidable-we-get-older?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Morning Studio editors,Jacqueline Kot Morning Studio editors,Jacqueline Kot Health is wealth, as the saying goes, and for elite athletes like Ian Ho – a Hong Kong swimmer who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and 2022 Asian Games – it plays a vital role in career success. Ho recently met with Victoria Tang-Owen, a Hong Kong designer and creative director, for a conversation about what holistic health means to him and what drives him to excel at competitive swimming, overcoming obstacles along the way. Although they come from two different worlds – Tang-Owen’s... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/elite-equation/article/3345549/olympian-ian-ho-physical-and-mental-well-being-are-lifetime-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/elite-equation/article/3345549/olympian-ian-ho-physical-and-mental-well-being-are-lifetime-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Social media is filled with influencers rating electrolyte supplements or even telling followers how to make their own. But experts say many of the claims about the health benefits of these drinks need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Electrolytes are electrically charged substances that help regulate chemical reactions in the body. In the context of hydration, they balance fluid levels inside and outside cells, says Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic in the US state... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345208/why-electrolyte-drinks-gatorade-and-pocari-sweat-arent-always-beneficial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345208/why-electrolyte-drinks-gatorade-and-pocari-sweat-arent-always-beneficial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press With hundreds of millions of people turning to chatbots for advice, it was only a matter of time before tech companies began offering programs specifically designed to answer health questions. In January, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health, a new version of its chatbot that the company says can analyse users’ medical records, wellness apps and wearable device data to answer health and medical questions. Currently, there is a waiting list for the program. Anthropic, a rival AI company, offers... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345364/should-you-ask-ai-chatbot-about-your-health-5-things-know-you-start-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345364/should-you-ask-ai-chatbot-about-your-health-5-things-know-you-start-sharing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Benny Ratnani celebrated his 75th birthday this week, but he still works over 70 hours a week at his company, which he founded in Hong Kong in 1982. The sole proprietor and chairman of Bee Dee Manufacturing travels frequently for work. His wholesale and export company, which employs 35 people in Hong Kong and mainland China, supplies products ranging from fashion and accessories to toys, electronics and home goods to clients primarily in the Middle East, India and the United States. Born in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345206/should-you-retire-mental-health-benefits-working-past-traditional-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345206/should-you-retire-mental-health-benefits-working-past-traditional-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Vincent Chow,Dannie Peng Vincent Chow,Dannie Peng Chinese companies are leading the way in personalised medicine, the development of healthcare treatments tailored for individual patients. MGI Tech last year unveiled the world’s fastest gene sequencing machine, while BGI Genomics has become the world’s biggest generator of data about human genes. Chinese biomedicine companies also have a world-leading pipeline of novel targeted therapies used in personalised or precision medicine (see previous China Future Tech). New technology, including... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/science/article/3345088/china-ai-boosts-cancer-screening-rare-disease-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/science/article/3345088/china-ai-boosts-cancer-screening-rare-disease-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This series is based on our reporting on TCM: its history, treatments and growing acceptance around the world. This is the seventh instalment. In the world of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), few remedies carry the legendary status – or the hefty price tag – of Angong Niuhuang Wan, often referred to as the “miracle pill”. The old formula, consisting of 11 herbs and minerals, has long been revered as a top-grade emergency medicine, historically used to treat those who have had a stroke or may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson A conference’s last session before lunch is usually the time to covertly check your phone and run some digital errands, while trying to stifle yawns. But that was not the case at the Global Wellness Summit’s recent event in New York to launch its annual trends report. Attendees were urged to get to their feet, turn to their neighbour, hold their gaze for several minutes, take their hands and say: “I love you.” Next came the rave. On stage, former dancer Luuk Melisse, founder of the mindful... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344686/why-wild-health-raves-will-be-one-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:15:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse To all the women who have heard the frustrating “it’s all in your head” in response to medical maladies, a new study feels your pain. Research published in the journal Science Immunology shows that women actually do experience exacerbated chronic pain compared to men – a gap that can be explained by biological differences in the immune system. “The pain of women has been overlooked in clinical practice, with the idea that it’s more in the mind, or that it’s because women are softer and more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344845/chronic-pain-lasts-longer-women-men-study-finds-and-reason-biological?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344845/chronic-pain-lasts-longer-women-men-study-finds-and-reason-biological?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:15:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Lori Sepich smoked for years and sometimes skipped taking her blood pressure medicine. But she never thought she would have a heart attack. The possibility “just wasn’t registering with me”, says the 64-year-old from Memphis, in the US state of Tennessee, who suffered two heart attacks 13 years apart. She is far from alone. More than 60 million women in the United States – and an estimated 275 million to 300 million women globally – live with cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344561/womens-heart-attack-symptoms-and-risk-factors-differ-mens-what-they-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344561/womens-heart-attack-symptoms-and-risk-factors-differ-mens-what-they-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:15:12 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Mui Thomas is, by any measure, a remarkable woman. Now 33, she is believed to be the world’s fourth-oldest survivor of Harlequin ichthyosis. This extremely rare genetic disorder causes the body to be covered with thick plates of skin – a condition so severe that when Mui was born in Hong Kong in 1992, it was considered universally fatal. She has survived medical emergencies that would have killed lesser fighters. Despite her ongoing health struggles, she has become a rugby coach, a certified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan This is the 83rd instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope. Doing “brain training” tests can make me a bit nervous. The anxiety triggers silly mistakes, and then “poor” results make me more anxious – especially when they are dementia tests. What if I fail, or my score points to a suboptimal brain response? I am also suspicious of them: how could an online test measure brain response accurately, and – even more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344094/what-best-brain-training-test-reduce-dementia-risk-study-examines-various-types?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter When teaching assistant Kavita Biswas first asked for a wheelchair at the airport, she was struggling to walk even short distances. It was a world away from her active life practising yoga and dance alongside her full-time job in a Hong Kong school. Suddenly, in her mid-forties, she found herself relying on a cane and, at times, a walking frame. Knee pain had steadily taken over her life, reshaping her days and narrowing her sense of what might still be possible. The pain began around four years... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344133/how-exercise-helped-mother-tackle-serious-knee-pain-and-return-cane-free-walking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344133/how-exercise-helped-mother-tackle-serious-knee-pain-and-return-cane-free-walking?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 23:15:11 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Anyone who has used an induction cooker is halfway to understanding Mayo Clinic’s new experimental approach to killing cancer cells. The health system, based in the US state of Minnesota, announced that it is the first in the US to test Israeli technology that targets solid tumours with fast-rising heat in a process it calls hyperthermia. “Temperature is the Achilles’ heel of cancer,” says Dr Scott Lester, the Mayo radiation oncologist leading a clinical trial to see if the technology is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344103/how-magnetic-heating-technology-could-be-new-cancer-fighting-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344103/how-magnetic-heating-technology-could-be-new-cancer-fighting-weapon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson In summer 2023, Oliver Rolfe was at breaking point. On the face of it, he had it all. In his early forties, he was a happily married father of two and the founder of a successful global headhunting business. He did not realise, though, that he was on the brink of burnout. “In hindsight, I can see how it all unravelled,” he says from his home in London. “I had always loved work, but it was a balance with sport and socialising.” After hurting his back 10 years ago, he could not play football –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343972/how-burnout-brought-ceo-breaking-point-what-signs-are-and-how-fix-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Seeing is believing, right? Well … perhaps not. In the early 1700s, the philosopher Bishop Berkeley pointed out that we never experience the outside world directly – we only experience what our sense perceptions tell us about that world. We assume that our sense perceptions realistically portray the outside world and provide us with accurate information about it. So if we see a cat, we think that the cat exists pretty much as we see it. While this is a good – and necessary – assumption for going... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343800/why-your-brain-forces-your-senses-perceive-reality-fit-preconceived-ideas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:15:09 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales The passion that black belt holder Lily Chan has for teaching aikido at her family’s Singapore school shines through in her classes. She has been training in the Japanese martial art for more than a decade, and is proud to be a part of the “dojo” founded by her oldest son, Shamus, and husband, Patrick. Aikido was developed by Japanese martial artist Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century. This modern, non-aggressive and unique form of self-defence focuses on harmony and non-violent conflict... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343703/73-year-old-singaporean-aikido-black-belt-only-started-learning-her-60s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3343703/73-year-old-singaporean-aikido-black-belt-only-started-learning-her-60s?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:00:07 +0000